Best of The Best Tournament-Judging

[Gil-Galad]

This is the place where the Judges of The Best of the Best Tournament can post their decisions.

We hope that we will not face the judging problems we faced in the last tournament.That is why,after a long discussion with TTF members Eriol wrote
Guidelines to Judging
We would kindly ask every judge to read them before he starts reading any debate.We truly hope that these Guidelines will help you.

[Gil-Galad]

Guidelines to Judging



1. Introduction:

This document is aimed at the improvement of the judgments of TTF debates. It is hoped that what is set down here is studied and followed to the best extent possible by all judges.


2. The role of the judge:

A judge is a third (neutral) party, responsible for casting a vote and in so doing choose which of the two teams debated better.


3. Requisites for judging

It was established through discussion that a judge should have the following characteristics:

(a) Willingness to judge

(b) Impartiality

(c) Available Time

(d) Care in the presentation of the judgment

(e) Familiarity with the topic of the debate

If you, as a judge, feel that you lack any of these requisites, it is strongly encouraged that you should give up your position as a judge, after informing the Host of the debate, under a “no questions asked” policy.

4. Questions to be answered by the judge


As the judge reads the debate, he must answer some basic questions to his satisfaction. Without those answers he can’t give a proper judgment. These questions are:

(a) What is the question of the debate?

(b) What are the arguments offered by the teams?

(c) Are these arguments sound (i.e., do they exhibit a good degree of fit with Tolkien’s writings)?

(d) Are these arguments applicable to the question of the debate?

(e) Were the arguments well presented (i.e., did they make good use of quotes, was their reasoning cogent, did they present a consistent argumentation among all members of the team, etc.)?

(f) Who was more persuasive?

5. Practical tips for judging

(a) Try to avoid looking at other judgments before you give your own opinion, unless you have great faith in your ability to remain impartial after reading another opinion.

(b) Make notes to answer the questions outlined above.

(c) Read the entire debate, as long as it may be, very carefully. If you did not understand a point, read it again. Be very reluctant to declare (to yourself) that something written by a debator is nonsensical or irrelevant.

(d) Trust the quotes, when you don’t have access to the books being quoted. Ideally, the quotes should be self-sufficient to further the argument being made. If after reading the quote you think that the argument lacks evidence, the quote is probably faulty. This is not to say that you agree or disagree with the argument, only that the quote is not enough to support the argument.

(e) Take the care to deliver a proper vote, explaining your reasoning.

(f) Take your time!! Don’t rush the judgment. If you don’t have the time to do it, warn the Host so that he can pick another judge.

6. Pitfalls to avoid

(a) Prejudice as to the subject – this kind of vote always annoys the debators, and is of doubtful propriety. What is meant by prejudice is a vote on the format “I believe that team A was defending the side I agree with, and so I’ll vote for team A”. The role of a judge is not to give his personal opinion on the topic. No matter how obvious you believe the answer to be, remember that it was considered as a proper question (which entails that the answer is not obvious, your personal opinion notwithstanding), and more important, that it was debated by two teams who spent their time and effort in doing that. To rule out beforehand the efforts of team B because you disagree with the side they were defending is not proper for a judge.

(b) If you know more about the subject than the debators, you should not use your knowledge as a factor in the judgment. You may (and should) point out shortcomings in their examples and quotes if you know of better examples and quotes that could have been offered; but when you cast your vote you should restrict yourself to what was actually posted by the debating teams. It is one thing to discuss the subject as a fellow debater and offer better examples and quotes; it is another thing to judge which of the teams debated better. There is no problem if you perform both roles in the judging post, but you should be very clear about them, and avoid letting your knowledge of things that were not posted influence the vote.

(c) Don’t be fooled by rhetoric and style. Most of the time, rhetoric
and style have one purpose: to inhibit the opponents. The judges should not be influenced by that. Take your time (the judge’s mantra) to distinguish between the argument and the style.

7. Have fun, enjoy the debates, and hopefully learn more about Tolkien . :)

By Eriol

I would like to thank Eriol for his great work.Nothing would be possible without you Eriol.

Good Luck!